Book hanger

ABSTRACT

An improved hanger assembly for a directory. The assembly incorporates at one end a rigid bracket plate. This bracket plate has a base leg and an upright leg normal to the base leg, and is equipped with a longitudinally extending slot having an enlarged terminal portion. The hanger and bracket plate assembly may be readily attached and detached to suspending means if desired.

United States Patent 1 Staats [451 July 15, 1975 1 1 BOOK HANGER [75] Inventor: Henry N. Staats, Deerfield, 111.

[73] Assignee: General Binding Corporation,

Northbrook, 111.

22 Filed: Mar. 30, 1973 21 1 Appl. No.: 346,687

[52] US. Cl. 281/47; 248/223', 248/317; 248/48 [51] Int. Cl. B42d 17/00 [58] Field of Search 248/223. 317, 359, 360. 248/447; 312/233; 281/47, 48, 49

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2053,119 9/1936 Sturtevant 248/223 3176.952 4/1965 Gilmore 248/317 3,425,42l 2/1969 Feder 281/48 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 155,947 12/1938 Germany 248/359 Primary Examiner-William H. Schultz Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Hill, Gross, Simpson, Van Santen, Steadrnan, Chiara & Simpson [57] ABSTRACT An improved hanger assembly for a directory. The assembly incorporates at one end a rigid bracket plate. This bracket plate has a base leg and an upright leg normal to the base leg, and is equipped with a longitudinally extending slot having an enlarged terminal portion. The hanger and bracket plate assembly may be readily attached and detached to suspending means if desired.

10 Claims, 12 Drawing Figures BOOK HANGER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Telephone and similar directories to be conveniently accessible for use at many locations require specialized equipment. Directories are heavy and inconvenient to use unless supported, and a loose directory tends to invite pilferage. Furthermore, in public places, the soft covers commonly used on directories need to be supplemented and augmented by a jacket arrangement for long life.

Heretofore the art has appreciated that it is convenient to mount a directory in a hanger and jacket assembly and then suspend that assembly from some means. However, a problem early arose and continues to exist concerning the means by which such a hanger and jacket assembly can be mounted or suspended easily and conveniently, without causing the resulting directory to be in some way or other adversely affected from the standpoint of user convenience.

Prior art techniques of mounting or suspending hanger and jacket assemblies typically have required relatively long field installation times. The suspending means for the hanger and jacket assembly frequently required a plurality of component parts, which not only involved expense to install, but also required expense to stock and warehouse, particularly for large users of hanger and jacket assemblies, such as telephone companies and the like. In addition, prior art hanger suspension means were relatively costly to fabricate and required a considerable amount oflabor to fabricate on a per unit basis, thereby causing the unit price of the resulting hanger and jacket assembly together with its suspension means to be excessive in many instances. Frequently, prior art hanger and jacket assemblies required a variety of different suspension hardware for different types of installations causing large inventory problems. Furthermore, maintenance of a mounted hanger and jacket assembly required careful attention being given to many of the prior art suspension assemblies heretofore known.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides an improvement in hanger means adapted for a directory. Hanger means of the type utilized in the present invention have an elongated backing support member with support means at respective opposed end regions thereof. Integral with each end support means are wire attachment means. Wire means extends between the end support means and engages the wire attachment means.

The improvement in such hanger means provided in the present invention involves the utilization ofa transversely flattened, longitudinally elongated, rigid bracket plate means. This bracket plate means is connected with the backing support member and permits one to suspend the hanger means by a variety of different devices and systems. A special slot arrangement enables one to simply and easily connect this bracket slot to a rigid or flexible lanyard-like means, such as a flexible cable, hook, or the like.

The improved hanger means of this invention is easy and economical to fabricate, can be universal in potential applications, is simple to warehouse, and is economical to install and maintain. Further advantages and objects of the present invention will be further apparent to those skilled in the art from the reading of the present specification taken with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view ofa bracket plate utilized on a hanger of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a hanger of this invention incorporating the bracket plate of FIG. 1 and mounted in a jacket;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the hanger of FIG. 2 through the end region mounting the bracket plate of FIG. 1, some parts shown in section and some parts broken away, and with a lanyard engaged;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the hanger of FIG. 2 in the same end region as FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing an alternative mounting position for a bracket plate of the type shown in FIG. I but having an extended base leg, the spring wires of the hanger being detached;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating the engaging of a lanyard with a bracket plate of the type shown in FIG. I;

FIG. 7 is a view of the hanger and pocket assembly of FIG. 2 with a directory mounted therein and suspended from the lanyard shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7, showing the hanger and jacket assembly suspended from a swivel;

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing an al' ternative form of a bracket plate.

FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but utilizing a bracket plate of the type shown in FIG. 9 with a hook engaged in the bracket plate;

FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 1 but showing another alternative form of a bracket plate; and

FIG. I2 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a hanger of this invention having a bracket plate integrally formed therewith.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Referring to FIG. I, there is seen an embodiment of a bracket plate I5 adapted for use in a hanger of this invention. Bracket plate 15 has a base leg 16 and an upright leg 17 integral therewith. Upright leg 17 normally extends from an end region of base leg 16. In bracket plate 15 is formed a longitudinally extending slot 18. Slot 18 extends over the region where the base leg 16 and the upright leg 17 join. Slot 18 has generally spaced, parallel, opposed side walls 19 and 21, except in the terminal region 22 thereof in base leg 16. The terminal portion 22 has the spacing between the side walls 19 and 21 transversely widened relative to other portions of the slot 18.

The terminal end portion 23 of base leg 16 has an aperture 24 formed therein for purposes of mounting, as by a rivet or the like (not shown in FIG. I, but see FIG. 2) the bracket 15 to a hanger means as is more particularly hereinafter described.

A bracket plate 15 may conveniently be formed of sheet metal or the like by utilizing a succession of stamping, bending and crimping operations, all as those skilled in the art will routinely appreciate. The hanger 15 is conveniently formed from a single elongated strip of sheet metal which is folded back upon itself during fabrication of the bracket plate 15 to form a double thickness of metal in the region of upright leg 17 and in the adjacent region of the base leg 16 where base leg 16 joins the upright leg 17 over the extent of slot 18. This double thickness of metal serves to reinforce and rigidify a bracket plate and also permits the formation of a swivel connector 26 at the exposed outer end region of the upright leg 17 which is an optional feature in a bracket plate for use in this invention.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is seen a hanger means for a directory, according to this invention, which is herein designated in its entirety by the numeral 27. Hanger 27 includes a generally planar, elongated backing support member 28, which has at one end thereof a first end support means 29, and, at the other end thereof, a second end support means 31. The first and the second end support means 29 and 31 upstand from the backing support member 28 and are formed integrally therewith. Each of such first and such second end support means 29 and 31 has a first section 32 and 33, respectively, bent upwardly from the generally planar main portion of backing support member 28. Similarly, each of such first and such second end support means 29 and 31 has a second section 34 and 36, respectively, bent downwardly from the first sections 32 and 33, respectively, whereby each of the end portions 29 and 31 assumes a generally V-shaped configuration.

The first end support means 29 includes in its first section 32 a perforated or slotted region 37. The slot 37 defines 3 downwardly projecting tabs, numbered as 38, 39 and 41. The first section in the end portion 31 can have slots formed therein in a manner similar to those in end portion 29, or, alternatively, conveniently, a series of perforations (not shown) can be made in the first section 33 of end support means 31 in any manner desired so as to accommodate spring wire fastening means as hereinafter detailed. A spring wire 42 bent as shown at 44 and 46 in FIG. 2 into a general W-shaped configuration has loops formed at each end thereof, each respective loop being adapted to engage the wire attachment means in the respective end support means 29 and 31; for example, the loop on wire 42 engages tab 38 in first section 32 of end support means 29, the relationship between the wire 42, backing support member 28, and end support means 29 and 31 being such that the wire 42 forms a secure connection between the end support means 29 and 31 while spring biased in position against the base of backing support member 28. In the embodiment of hanger 27 shown, there is also provided a second spring wire 43 which is similarly constructed to wire 42, and thus has bends 47 and 48, and is adapted to interconnect between the end supports 29 and 31, for example, by a loop 50 on wire 43 engaged on tab 41. The wires 42 and 43 when in a functionally mounted position are in spaced relationship to each other, but are not necessarily parallel to each other.

The backing support member 28 in hanger 27 is secured to a cover 49 by any convenient means, for example, by rivets 53, 54 and 54A. Directory 54 (shown in dotted outline form only) is then mountable in the assembly of cover 49 and hanger 27, on wires 42 and 43.

The hanger 27 is equipped with bracket 15 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 by any convenient means. Here, the first section 32 and the second section 34 of end support means 29 are each provided with slots 45 adapted to accommodate the base leg 16 of bracket 15. In this way, the bracket 15 does not interfere with the face-toface mounting of backing support member 28 against cover 49, and the bracket 15 is entirely enclosed within an assembly of hanger 27 and cover 49 to secure bracket 15 to hanger 27. [n this embodiment, a screw 55 and mating socket 57 (see FIG. 3), or other convenient means, are used to fasten bracket 15 to hanger 27. Observe that the screw 56/socket 57 combination can be used in place of the rivet 54A.

The bracket 15 is so mounted in relation to hanger 27 that the terminal portion 22 of slot 18 falls between hanger 27 and cover 49 behind second section 34 of first end support means 29. The advantage of this technique of interrelating bracket 15 with hanger 27 lies in the fact that, if a lanyard 58 is engaged with bracket 15 before bracket 15 is assembled with hanger 27 in the manner indicated, then the lanyard 58 cannot be removed from the assembly of hanger 27 and cover 49 without dissembling such assembly, thereby making it difficult to pilfer, hanger 27, or the combination thereof with a cover 49 and a bracket 15, with or without a directory 54, as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate. The swivel connector 26 tends to reinforce the exposed end of upright leg 17 and to make it more difficult to separate the lanyard 58 from the bracket 15 by spreading apart the side walls 19 and 21 of slot 18.

The manner in which a lanyard 58 is engaged with a bracket 15 is illustrated in FIG. 6. The lanyard 58 terminates in a knob 59 which is secured to the end of Ianyard 58 by means of a shank 60, which is crimped about the end of lanyard 58. Lanyard 58 can be convenientlyformed of light steel cable which has been jacketed with a polymeric coating.

The diameter of knob 59 is chosen so as to be smaller than the width of terminal portion 22 of slot 18, and the diameter of lanyard 58 as well as that of shank 60 is smaller than the width of the slot 18. Thus, the assembly of lanyard 58 and knob 59 (with its shank 60) is simply engaged with bracket 15 by moving knob 59 through terminal portion 22 with lanyard 58 being positioned in aligned relationship to slot 18. Once the lanyard 58 is engaged with bracket 15 in this manner and the assembly is mounted, as shown and described in F165. 2 and 3, the lanyard 58 cannot be removed from the hanger 27 as indicated. The interrelationship between the bracket 15 and the hanger 27 is further illustrated by reference to FIG. 4.

If one does not desire to lock", or block, terminal portion 22a of a bracket 15a (e.g., a bracket of the type shown in FIG. I), the bracket 15a is mounted in a hanger 27, as shown in FIG. 5, with the leg 17a of bracketISa projecting outwardly to an extent great enough to permit the entire terminal portion 22a to be exposed beyond the end of the hanger 27, in the manner shown, for example, in FIG. 5.

The appearance of a hanger 27 having a bracket 15 mounted thereon as described above in FIGS. 2 and 3 is illustrated in use in FIG. 7, where the hanger 27 is in further combination with a cover 49 and a directory 54. Lanyard 58 suspends hanger 27 from a bracket 61 engaged with lanyard 58, the bracket 61 being mounted against a horizontally extending support 62, such as a shelf or the like. Observe that, in this application, the bracket 15 has its upright leg 17 projecting outwardly away from the cover 49 so as to leave the cover 49, and the directory 54 therein, unencumbered. A similar effect, however, may be obtained by turning the bracket through in assembly so that it assumes a configuration in the assembly of hanger 27 and bracket 15 as shown by dotted line 17 and 26 in FIG. 3, as those skilled in the art will appreciate.

As was noted above, a bracket can be equipped with a swivel connector 26 which may be used to suspend the assembly of hanger 27 and bracket 15 in place of the lanyard 58 if desired. Thus, in FIG. 8 the bracket 15 has a shaft 67 mounted through the swivel connector 26, and the ends of the shaft 67 are journalled in a pair of U-shaped clamps 65, the clamps 65 being secured to a wall member 64 by any convenient means. such as bolts 66.

While a bracket 15 is a preferred embodiment for use in the present invention, it will be readily appreciated that, in place of a bracket 15, one may employ a bracket 71, as shown in FIG. 9. Like bracket plate 15, bracket plate 7] employs a base leg 72 and an upright leg 73 integral therewith, upright leg 73 normally extending from base leg 72. Bracket 71 has a slot 74 extending over the region where base leg 72 and upright leg 73 join. Slot 74 has generally spaced, parallel opposed side walls 76 and 77 except in the terminal region 78 thereof, the spacing between the side walls 76 and 77 being transversely widened relative to other portions of the slot 74. Here, the bracket 71 is flattened at the end of upright leg 73. Use of a bracket such as 71 in a hanger is illustrated by the embodiment partially shown in FIG. 10, where the hanger is similar to that shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, similar parts being identi fled with the same numbers but with the letter a attached thereto. Here, a hook 81 with a terminal knob 82 engaged in the slot 74 is employed in place of a lanyard, interconnection of hook 81 with the bracket 71 being accomplished in a manner analogous to that described above in relation to the bracket 15. An eye could be used in place of a hook.

An even simpler form of bracket is illustrated in FIG. 11 where a bracket similar to that shown in FIG. 9 is illustrated, the FIG. 11 bracket being designated in its entirety by the numeral 710, like parts in the bracket embodiment 710 being similarly numbered as in bracket 71 but with the addition of the letter a thereto, the bracket 71a being equipped with a mounting aperture 79a. This braket 71a differs from bracket 71 in that it does not have a double layer of material over the region of upright leg 73a and slot 74a, rigidity being supplied by a single piece of formed material, such as metal.

Shown in FIG. 12 is another embodiment of a hanger and bracket assembly of this invention, herein designated in its entirety by the numeral 86. Assembly 86 has a backing support member 87 with end support members 89 and 91 mounted near opposite end portions thereof. A wire 97 extends between support members 89 and 91, being fixed to support member 91 and being demountably engaged with supporting member 89 by means of a slot therein which biases wire 97 in a closed position when a directory is in place on assembly 86 with the wire 97 extending therethrough. Backing support 87 is mounted to a binder, such as binder 96, using rivets or the like (not shown) extending through holes 94. Assembly 86 is equipped with an integral bracket plate, herein designated in its entirety by the numeral 90. The assembly 86 is conveniently formed of metal. Bracket plate 90 has a base leg portion 92 and an upstanding leg portion 88 with a slot 93 formed in base leg 97 and upstanding leg 88, there being an enlarged terminal portion 95 formed therein in the manner of the other brackets 15, 71 and 71a herein illustrated. Partial protection against pilfering may be achieved with this embodiment, if desired, by using a cover whose dimensions overlap the terminal portion 95. However, a cover 96 may be used as shown in FIG. 2 which leaves the terminal portion 95 open so that the bracket may be easily engaged and engaged with a lanyard-like member, such as a lanyard 58 or a hook 81, as those skilled in the art will appreciate.

Other and further embodiments in this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a reading of the present invention taken with the drawings without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

I claim:

1. In a hanger means adapted for a directory and characterized by having (a) an elongated backing support member with end support means at respective, opposed end regions thereof, (b) wire attachment means integral with each end support means, and (c) wire means which extends between said end support means and engages said wire attachment means. the improvement which comprises A. a transversely flattened, longitudinally elongated, rigid bracket plate means having a base leg and an upright leg integral therewith normally extending from an end region of said base leg,

B. a longitudinally extending slot defined in said bracket over the region where said base leg and said upright leg join, said slot having generally spaced, parallel opposed side walls except at the terminal portion thereof in said base leg, said terminal portion having the spacing between said side walls transversely widened relative to other portions of said slot, and

C. said base leg extending from one end region of said backing support member with said upright leg projecting outwardly in spaced relationship to the adjacent end support means.

2. The hanger means of claim 1 wherein said bracket plate is integral with said backing support member.

3. The hanger meansof claim I wherein said base leg extends through said adjacent end support means and said terminal portion is enclosed by said adjacent end support means.

4. The hanger means of claim 1 wherein said base leg extends through said adjacent end support means and said terminal portion is exteriorly located in spaced relationship to said adjacent end support means.

5. The hanger means of claim 3 wherein a lanyard means having a knob like projection at one end thereof, the diameter of said projection being smaller than the width of said terminal portion, but greater than the width of said slot, said projection being adapted to pass through said terminal portion and engage said lanyard means with said bracket plate means, is so engaged with said bracket plate means.

6. The hanger means of claim 4 wherein a lanyard means having a knob like projection at one end thereof, the diameter of said projection being smaller than the width of said terminal portion, but greater than the width of said slot, said projection being adapted to pass through said terminal portion and engage said lanyard means with said bracket plate means, is so engaged with said bracket plate means.

7. The hanger means of claim 1 wherein said upright leg, and also said base leg in the region thereof wherein said slot extends, have a thickness about twice that of the remainder of said base leg of said bracket plate means.

8. The hanger means of claim 7 wherein said bracket plate means has a swivel connection at the terminal outside end of said upright leg.

9. The hanger means of claim 3 wherein a hook means having a knob-like projection at the end thereof remote from the hook portion thereof, the diameter of said projection being smaller than the width of said terminal portion, but greater than the width of said slot, said projection being adapted to pass through said terminal portion and engage said hook means with said bracket plate means, is so engaged with said bracket plate means.

10. A hanger means adapted for a directory and comprising A. an elongated support member including a first end support means at one end thereof and a second end support means at the opposite end thereof,

B. a first and a second pair of wire attachment means integral with each of said end support means, each one of said pair of attachment means being transversely spaced relative to said support member from the other thereof,

C. a pair of spring wires each one being adapted to extend in spaced relationship to the other, between individual longitudinally opposed members of said first and said second pair of wire attachment means,

D. each one of said spring wires having a loop means at each end thereof, said loop means being adapted to be sprung into locking engagement with said wire attachment means with said spring wire being biased in position by said support member,

E. a transversely flattened, longitudinally elongated,

rigid bracket plate means having a base leg and an upright leg integral therewith normally extending from an end region of said base leg,

F. a longitudinally extending slot defined in said G, mounting means securing said base leg to one end region of said backing support member with said upright leg projecting outwardly in spaced relationship to the adjacent end support means. 

1. In a hanger means adapted for a directory and characterized by having (a) an elongated backing support member with end support means at respective, opposed end regions thereof, (b) wire attachment means integral with each end support means, and (c) wire means which extends between said end support means and engages said wire attachment means, the improvement which comprises A. a transversely flattened, longitudinally elongated, rigid bracket plate means having a base leg and an upright leg integral therewith normally extending from an end region of said base leg, B. a longitudinally extending slot defined in said bracket over the region where said base leg and said upright leg join, said slot having generally spaced, parallel opposed side walls except at the terminal portion thereof in said base leg, said terminal portion having the spacing between said side walls transversely widened relative to other portions of said slot, and C. said base leg extending from one end region of said backing support member with said upright leg projecting outwardly in spaced relationship to the adjacent end support means.
 2. The hanger means of claim 1 wherein said bracket plate is integral with said backing support member.
 3. The hangeR means of claim 1 wherein said base leg extends through said adjacent end support means and said terminal portion is enclosed by said adjacent end support means.
 4. The hanger means of claim 1 wherein said base leg extends through said adjacent end support means and said terminal portion is exteriorly located in spaced relationship to said adjacent end support means.
 5. The hanger means of claim 3 wherein a lanyard means having a knob like projection at one end thereof, the diameter of said projection being smaller than the width of said terminal portion, but greater than the width of said slot, said projection being adapted to pass through said terminal portion and engage said lanyard means with said bracket plate means, is so engaged with said bracket plate means.
 6. The hanger means of claim 4 wherein a lanyard means having a knob like projection at one end thereof, the diameter of said projection being smaller than the width of said terminal portion, but greater than the width of said slot, said projection being adapted to pass through said terminal portion and engage said lanyard means with said bracket plate means, is so engaged with said bracket plate means.
 7. The hanger means of claim 1 wherein said upright leg, and also said base leg in the region thereof wherein said slot extends, have a thickness about twice that of the remainder of said base leg of said bracket plate means.
 8. The hanger means of claim 7 wherein said bracket plate means has a swivel connection at the terminal outside end of said upright leg.
 9. The hanger means of claim 3 wherein a hook means having a knob-like projection at the end thereof remote from the hook portion thereof, the diameter of said projection being smaller than the width of said terminal portion, but greater than the width of said slot, said projection being adapted to pass through said terminal portion and engage said hook means with said bracket plate means, is so engaged with said bracket plate means.
 10. A hanger means adapted for a directory and comprising A. an elongated support member including a first end support means at one end thereof and a second end support means at the opposite end thereof, B. a first and a second pair of wire attachment means integral with each of said end support means, each one of said pair of attachment means being transversely spaced relative to said support member from the other thereof, C. a pair of spring wires each one being adapted to extend in spaced relationship to the other, between individual longitudinally opposed members of said first and said second pair of wire attachment means, D. each one of said spring wires having a loop means at each end thereof, said loop means being adapted to be sprung into locking engagement with said wire attachment means with said spring wire being biased in position by said support member, E. a transversely flattened, longitudinally elongated, rigid bracket plate means having a base leg and an upright leg integral therewith normally extending from an end region of said base leg, F. a longitudinally extending slot defined in said bracket over the region where said base leg and said upright leg join, said slot having generally spaced, parallel opposed side walls except at the terminal portion thereof in said base leg, said terminal portion having the spacing between said side walls transversely widened relative to other portions of said slot, and G. mounting means securing said base leg to one end region of said backing support member with said upright leg projecting outwardly in spaced relationship to the adjacent end support means. 